CN114929554A

CN114929554A - Infant transport system

Info

Publication number: CN114929554A
Application number: CN202080081423.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 卡琳·安娜·塞西莉亚·迪梅尔; 佩尔·大卫·迪梅尔
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-09-30
Filing date: 2020-09-29
Publication date: 2022-08-19
Also published as: EP4037954A1; SE1951111A1; SE543891C2; US20220354270A1; WO2021063959A1

Abstract

An infant transport system comprising: a baby enclosure for containing a baby; a filter; a mesh fan configured to pressurize the interior of the baby enclosure such that air is drawn into the baby enclosure through the filter and air exits the baby enclosure through the mesh; and one or more sensors configured to provide sensed data that is a measure of one or more environmental parameters associated with the infant transport system. The infant transport system may further comprise a position determining device configured to determine position data indicative of a position and transmitter associated with the infant transport system when providing the sensed data, configured to transmit the sensed data and the associated position data to a third party device.

Description

Infant transport system

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to infant transport systems, and in particular to infant transport systems that can provide clean air to a playpen containing an infant.

Background

In cities and other heavily contaminated areas, it may be undesirable to transport children in the open air because the intake of contaminated air can have a negative impact on the health of the children.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an infant transport system comprising:

a baby enclosure for containing a baby;

a filter;

a mesh;

a fan configured to pressurize the interior of the playpen such that air is drawn into the playpen through the filter and air exits the playpen through the mesh;

one or more sensors configured to provide sensed data that is a measure of one or more environmental parameters associated with the infant transport system.

The filter may form part of the wall of the baby enclosure. The mesh may form part of the wall of the baby enclosure.

The infant transport system may further include:

a position determining device configured to determine position data indicative of a position associated with the infant transportation system when providing the sensed data.

The infant transport system may further include:

a transmitter configured to transmit the sensing data and optionally the associated location data to a third party device.

The infant transport system may further include the third party device configured to:

receiving sensing data and location data from a plurality of transmitters associated with a respective plurality of infant transport systems; and

the sensed data and the location data are processed to generate a map that graphically illustrates values of the sensed data at locations on the map that correspond to the associated location data.

The infant transport system may further include a time recorder configured to determine time data indicative of a time at which the sensed data was provided. The transmitter may be configured to also transmit the time data to the third party device along with the sensed data and the location data.

receiving sensing data, location data, and time data from a plurality of transmitters associated with a respective plurality of infant transport systems; and

the sensed data, the location data, and the time data are processed to generate a map graphically illustrating values of the sensed data at locations on the map corresponding to the associated location data over a particular time period of the day.

The infant transport system may further include a mobile communication device, wherein:

the mobile communication device comprises the location determining device and the transmitter;

the one or more sensors are associated with a baby pen; and

the mobile communication device is in electronic communication with one or more sensors such that it is configured to receive sensed data from the one or more sensors.

The one or more sensors may include one or more of:

an air pollution sensor configured to provide sensed external pollution data representative of an air pollution level outside the playpen;

an air pollution sensor configured to provide sensed internal pollution data representative of an air pollution level inside the playpen;

a temperature sensor configured to provide sensed internal temperature data representative of an air temperature inside the baby enclosure;

a humidity sensor configured to provide sensed internal humidity data representative of humidity inside the playpen;

a motion sensor configured to provide sensed motion data representative of motion of an interior of the playpen;

a noise pollution sensor configured to provide sensed sound data representative of sound levels of one or both of the inside and outside of the playpen;

a particle sensor configured to provide sensed external particle data representative of a level of one or more types of particles outside of the playpen;

a particle sensor configured to provide sensed internal particle data representative of a level of one or more types of particles inside the playpen; and

a microbial sensor configured to provide sensed microbial data representative of a bacterium, virus or fungus.

The air pollution sensor may include one or more of an ozone sensor, a particulate matter sensor, a carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide sensor, a sulfur dioxide sensor, a surface ozone sensor, a NOx (nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide) sensor, a Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) sensor, a peroxyacetyl nitrate sensor, a free radical sensor, and a nitrous oxide sensor. The particulate matter sensor and/or particle sensor may be configured to detect one or more types of particles/particles, including but not limited to pollen, dust, nanoparticles, and building debris.

The playpen may include one or more camera devices configured to record still images, consecutive still images, or video images. The camera device may be arranged to record an area outside the baby enclosure, for example to record images of the environment or passersby. The image of the environment or passerby may be used to identify one or more of a location of the baby pen, a direction of the baby pen, or a person or animal approaching the baby pen.

In some embodiments, the camera may be configured to provide the image to a processor coupled to memory for determining characteristics of the image, such as for object recognition, facial recognition, or any other suitable feature recognition technique.

One or more camera devices may be provided to record the interior of the playpen. The image of the inside of the playpen can be used to detect the presence or absence of an infant. Any one or combination of images of the infant, sensed sound data, and sensed motion data may be used to determine the sleep state of the infant. The sleep state of the infant may be a measure of how well the infant is at rest, such as whether the infant is asleep or awake, how deeply the infant is asleep, and in some instances, whether the infant recently woken up or fallen asleep. Sleep state data of the infant may be recorded in order to analyze the conditions under which the infant sleeps most well. The control of the fan may be based on the conditions under which the infant sleeps most well. For example, if the infant is asleep and the sleep state data has determined that the infant is sleeping better in cooler conditions, the fan may be operated at an increased rate. Alternatively, the infant may sleep better when the fan is quieter, so the power level of the fan may be reduced when the infant is sleeping, or when the sleep state data indicates that the infant is only sleeping slightly, i.e. easily awakening.

As another example, the processor may: processing the images, sensed sound data, and/or sensed motion data to determine whether the infant is within the infant enclosure; and automatically controls the fan depending on whether the infant is inside the playpen. For example, the controller may automatically disable the fan to extend battery life when the infant is not within the playpen.

In other examples, the images may be used to identify potential hazards within the playpen. Exemplary hazards may include the presence of cloth, hoods or clothing covering the infant's face, the removal or destruction of the infant's blanket, or the accidental twisting of the infant in the infant playpen.

The fan may be a radial fan.

The playpen may include:

a crib having a flat lower surface on which an infant can lie;

a cover; and

a removable lid connectable to the crib and foldable cover such that the crib, the cover, and the removable lid define a fully enclosed volume for receiving an infant.

The filter may form part of the wall of the hood. The mesh may form part of a removable cover.

The removable cover may include a mesh and a solid portion. When the removable cover is not attached to the crib and cover, an opening may be defined through which an infant may enter or exit the playpen. The opening may have a first portion and a second portion. The first portion of the opening may be defined by: (i) the peripheral edge of the cover extends beyond a portion of the top of the crib; and (ii) a line connecting two points where the cover overlaps the crib. The second portion of the opening may be defined by: (i) a line connecting two points where the cover and the crib overlap; and (ii) an edge of the side wall of the crib distal from the hood. A removable cover is attachable to the crib and hood such that: the mesh encloses a first portion of the opening and the solid portion encloses a second portion of the opening. This may provide protection against parasites, mosquitoes or other undesirable organisms entering the infant transport system.

The infant transport system may further include a filter unit including a filter and a fan. The filter unit may be attached to the hood.

The filter may be located upstream or downstream in the direction of airflow through the fan.

The mesh may have a first surface facing the playpen and a second surface facing away from the playpen. The fan and the mesh may be positioned relative to each other such that, when the fan is in use, across substantially the entire mesh, the air pressure on the first surface of the mesh is greater than the air pressure on the second surface.

The fan may be configured to provide an airflow into the playpen. The gas flow may be directed towards the mesh. When the infant transport system is in an in-use orientation, the airflow may be directed to an upper region of the mesh. A porous sheet material, such as filter media, may be located between the fan and the baby enclosure. The porous sheet material may improve the uniformity of airflow into the playpen. The porous sheet may comprise a foam sheet. The porous sheet may be disposed before or after the filter or mesh. The porous sheet material may also provide additional protection against certain types of contamination entering the playpen. In some examples, the porous sheet may have a carbon layer thereon. The carbon layer can be configured to reduce a flow of at least ozone, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide into the playpen.

The cover may be foldable.

The playpen may also include a handle that is graspable by a person at a location corresponding to a longitudinal center of mass of the playpen. The handle may be attached to the cover. The handle may extend in the longitudinal direction of the baby enclosure. This can provide weight balance to the playpen such that only a single handle is required to lift the playpen while maintaining the lower surface of the playpen substantially horizontal.

One end of the handle may be connected to the upper front edge region of the hood. The other end of the handle is attachable to the cover at a location longitudinally spaced from the upper front edge region.

The handle may be attached to a laterally central region of the cover.

The infant transport system may also include a wheeled frame on which the infant enclosure may be mounted.

The infant transport system may also include a display configured to provide a graphical representation of the sensed data.

The infant transport system may further include a controller configured to:

processing the sensed data and determining a fan control signal to automatically set an adjustable parameter of the fan; and

a fan control signal is provided to the fan.

The adjustable parameter of the fan may be the fan speed.

A computer program may be provided herein which when run on a computer causes the computer to configure any apparatus, to comprise a controller as disclosed herein, or to perform any method as disclosed herein. The computer program may be a software implementation and the computer may be considered any suitable hardware, including a digital signal processor, a microcontroller, and implementations in read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), as non-limiting examples. The software may be an assembler.

The computer program may be provided on a computer readable medium, which may be a physical computer readable medium such as a disk or a memory device, or may be embodied as a transient signal. Such transient signals may be network downloads, including internet downloads.

Drawings

One or more embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1a shows a perspective view from the front of an example embodiment of an infant transport system;

FIG. 1b shows a perspective view from the back of the infant transport system of FIG. 1 a;

FIG. 1c shows the removable cover separated from the other components of the playpen;

FIG. 1d shows the crib and cover separated from the removable cover;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a network including a plurality of playpens;

FIG. 3 shows a view of the interior of a hood that may be used with any of the infant transport systems disclosed herein;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view from the back of the infant transport system of FIG. 1a with the filter unit partially disassembled;

FIG. 5 shows a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a playpen; and

fig. 6 illustrates a side view of an example embodiment of a playpen.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1a shows a perspective view from the front of an example embodiment of an infant transport system 100. Fig. 1b shows a perspective view from the back of the same infant transport system 100.

The infant transport system 100 includes a baby enclosure 102 for housing an infant. In this example, the playpen 102 includes a crib 104; a hood 106 and a removable cover 108. The crib 104 has a flat lower surface on which an infant can lie, and side walls extending away from the edges of the flat lower surface, which in this example surround the entire peripheral edge of the flat lower surface. In this manner, the upper end of the crib 104 is open so that an infant can be placed into or removed from the crib 104.

Fig. 1c shows the removable lid 108 separated from the other components of the playpen. Fig. 1d shows crib 104 and hood 106 separated by removable cover 108. In this example, hood 106 is foldable.

Fig. 1a shows crib 104, hood 106 and removable cover 108 all connected together such that they define a fully enclosed volume for receiving an infant. That is, when the crib 104, hood 106, and removable cover 108 are coupled together, there are no significant gaps therebetween, and thus no significant airflow through any gaps between the separate components. In this example, the removable cover 108 is releasably attached to the crib 104 and the hood 106 using zippers, but it should be understood that any other fastening means may be used, such as velcro (tm) or magnets.

The playpen 102 includes a filter 110 and a mesh 112. The mesh 112 may form part of the wall of the playpen 102, and in this example, the mesh 112 forms part of the wall of the removable cover 108. The filter 110 may also form a portion of the wall of the playpen 102. Alternatively, as described below, the filter 110 may be provided as part of a filter unit, and the filter unit may form part of the wall of the playpen. In this example, filter 110 forms a portion of the wall of hood 106. Similarly, it should be understood that the filter unit may form a portion of the wall of hood 106. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the filter 110 and mesh 112 may be located in different walls of the playpen 102. Both the mesh 112 and the filter 110 are permeable so that air can flow through them.

The infant transport system 100 also includes a fan (not shown in fig. 1a-1d, although discussed in detail below) that can pressurize the interior of the baby enclosure 102 such that air is drawn into the baby enclosure 102 through the filter 110 and exits the baby enclosure 102 through the mesh 112. The filter 110 may be located upstream or downstream of the direction of airflow through the fan. This flow of air through the filter 110 into the playpen 102 is schematically illustrated in fig. 1a and 1b by arrows 114. The flow of air out of the playpen 102 through the mesh 112 is schematically shown in fig. 1a and 1b by arrows 116. A porous sheet (not shown), such as a filter media, can be positioned between the fan and the playpen 102. The porous sheet material may improve the uniformity of airflow into the playpen. The porous sheet may comprise a foam sheet, such as a PPI pad. The porous sheet may be disposed before or after the filter 110 or mesh 112 in the direction of gas flow. The porous sheet material may also provide additional protection against certain types of contamination entering the playpen.

The use of such a filter 110 and fan enables the air inside the infant enclosure 102, and thus the air drawn in by the infant, to be sufficiently clean and healthy. The filter 110 may take any form known in the art to remove any undesirable particles or gases from the air outside the playpen 102. As non-limiting examples, the undesirable particulates may be air pollution, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, Nitrogen Oxides (NO) _x ) One or more of a virus and a bacterium. For example, the filter 110 may be an advanced carbon-consuming HEPA air filter or an advanced carbon-consuming E11 filter. The carbon consuming E11 filter may include an activated carbon filter.

With particular reference to fig. 1c, the mesh 112 has a first surface 118 facing the playpen and a second surface 120 facing away from the playpen. The first surface 118 can be considered to be part of an inner surface defining a baby enclosure, while the second surface 120 can be considered to be part of an outer surface defining a baby enclosure. The fan (not shown) and the mesh 112 may be positioned relative to each other such that, when the fan is in use, across substantially the entire mesh, the air pressure on a first surface of the mesh is greater than the air pressure on a second surface. This can increase the likelihood that no dirty air will enter the baby enclosure through the mesh 112.

The fan can provide airflow into the playpen and the airflow can be directed toward the mesh 112. In some examples, the fan may be oriented relative to the mesh 112 such that it provides an even distribution of air along the mesh 112, which in turn may create an even airflow through the baby pen 102. In addition to providing positive air pressure in the playpen 102, the fan can also provide an air flow that prevents or minimizes the entry of outside air into the playpen 102 through the mesh 112 when the fan is turned on. In one example, the air flow from the fan may be directed to an upper region of the mesh 112 when the infant transport system is in an in-use orientation. Due to the aerodynamics of the mesh 112, the air will be evenly distributed along the inner surface of the mesh 112 such that the air exits the playpen 102 through substantially the entire surface of the mesh 112. By so doing, air flows evenly from the inside to the outside at the surface of the mesh 112 and air is prevented or reduced from entering the playpen 102 through the mesh 112.

In some examples, the mesh 112 may be a UV mesh, such that it also provides protection from ultraviolet light for the infant within the infant enclosure 102.

The removable cover 108 also includes a solid portion 122 that is substantially impermeable such that air cannot pass through it (as opposed to the air permeable mesh 112). In this example, the solid portion 122 is generally parallel to the bottom of the crib 104 when it is attached to the crib 104. This may provide good environmental protection for the infant in the playpen 102. In addition, providing the solid portion 122 in this location can help control the airflow in the playpen 102 so that outside air enters the playpen 102 only through the filter 110. It will be appreciated that if air is allowed to enter the baby enclosure 102 through different openings, this will reduce the air quality within the baby enclosure. As shown, solid portion 122 is releasably attached to crib 104, and in the example shown, is non-releasably attached to hood 106.

As shown in fig. 1a and 1c, the mesh 112 of the removable cover 108 extends in a plane transverse to the bottom of the crib 104. Mesh 112 is releasably attached to hood 106, and in the example shown is non-releasably attached to crib 104. Providing the mesh 112 in this orientation can help achieve a desired airflow in the playpen 102. Furthermore, the position of the mesh 112 enables only limited exposure to rain. Further, the mesh 112 may conveniently be at least translucent so that parents or guardians can view the infant in the playpen 102 to ensure they are not present.

As shown in FIG. 1d, when the removable cover 108 is not attached to the crib 104 and hood 106, an opening is defined through which an infant can enter or exit the playpen 102. The opening may be considered to have a first portion and a second portion. The first portion of the opening is defined by: (i) the portion of the peripheral edge of hood 106 that extends beyond the top of crib 104; and (ii) a line connecting two points where hood 106 overlaps with crib 104. The second portion of the opening is defined by: (i) a line connecting two points where hood 106 overlaps crib 104; and (ii) the edges of the side walls of crib 104 that are distal from hood 106. When the removable cover 108 is attached to the crib 104 and hood 106, the mesh 112 closes a first portion of the opening, while the solid portion 122 closes a second portion of the opening.

The infant transport system in this example also includes one or more sensors (not shown). The sensor may provide sensed data that is a measure of one or more environmental parameters associated with the infant transport system. The sensor may be located inside the playpen 102 or outside the playpen 102.

The sensor may comprise one or more of:

an air pollution sensor which can provide sensed external pollution data representative of the air pollution level outside the infant enclosure;

an air pollution sensor which can provide sensed internal pollution data representative of the air pollution level within the baby enclosure;

a temperature sensor providing sensed internal temperature data representative of the temperature of the air within the enclosure;

a temperature sensor providing sensed external temperature data representative of the air temperature outside the baby enclosure;

a humidity sensor providing sensed internal humidity data representative of humidity within the baby enclosure;

a humidity sensor providing sensed external humidity data representative of humidity outside the playpen;

a motion sensor configured to provide sensed motion data representative of motion inside the baby enclosure;

a noise pollution sensor configured to provide sensed sound data representative of sound levels of one or both of the inside and outside of the playpen. The noise pollution sensor may be a microphone;

a particle sensor configured to provide sensed internal particle data representative of a level of one or more types of particles inside the baby enclosure; and

Such air pollution sensors may include one or more of an ozone sensor, a particulate matter sensor, a carbon monoxide sensor, a carbon dioxide sensor, a sulfur dioxide sensor, a ground ozone sensor, a NOx (nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide) sensor, a Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) sensor, a peroxyacetyl nitrate sensor, a free radical sensor, and a nitrous oxide sensor. The particulate matter sensor and/or particle sensor may be configured to detect one or more types of particles/particles, including but not limited to pollen, dust, nanoparticles, and building debris.

In some embodiments, the camera may be configured to provide the image to a processor coupled to a memory for determining characteristics of the image, such as for object recognition, facial recognition, or any other suitable characteristic recognition technique.

One or more camera devices may be provided to record the interior of the playpen. The image of the inside of the playpen and optionally other types of sensed data described herein can be used to detect the presence or absence of an infant. Any one or combination of images of the infant, sensed sound data, and sensed motion data may be used to determine the sleep state of the infant. The sleep state of an infant may be a measure of how well the infant is at rest, such as whether the infant is asleep or awake, how deeply the infant is sleeping, and in some instances, whether the infant has recently woken up or fallen asleep. For example, determining that the infant recently woken up may result in sending a notification to the remote device to remind the parent. Sleep state data of the infant may be recorded in order to analyze the conditions under which the infant sleeps most well. The control of the fan may be based on the conditions under which the infant sleeps most well. For example, if the infant is asleep and the sleep state data has determined that the infant is sleeping better in cooler conditions, the fan may be operated at an increased rate. Alternatively, the infant may sleep better when the fan is quieter, so the power level of the fan may be reduced when the infant is sleeping, or when the sleep state data indicates that the infant is only sleeping slightly, i.e. easily awakening.

In some examples, the infant transport system 100 may include a display (not shown) that provides a graphical representation of the sensed data. The display may be local to the playpen 102, for example it may be mounted on an outer surface of the playpen 102. Alternatively or additionally, a remote device such as a mobile communication device may provide the functionality of a display. By way of non-limiting example, the display may graphically illustrate one or more of: (a) an instantaneous value of one or more types of sensed data, (b) a plot of multiple values of the same type of sensed data over time, (c) a time average of one or more sensed data, e.g., an average of sensed data over the past 10 seconds.

In one example, the display can provide a graphical representation of the sensed external pollution data and/or the sensed internal pollution data to visualize the air quality inside and outside the playpen.

Optionally, the infant transport system may include a controller (not shown) that may be co-located with or remote from the infant enclosure. Also, for example, the functions of the controller may be provided by the mobile communication device. The controller may process the sensed data and determine a fan control signal to automatically set an adjustable parameter of the fan. For example, the adjustable parameter of the fan may be the fan speed. The controller may then provide fan control signals to the fan to automatically control its operation based on the sensed data. In some applications, this may enable the fan to be used in an energy efficient manner so that it does not run at unnecessarily high speeds when it is not necessary to achieve acceptable air quality in the playpen 102. This is particularly useful when the fan is battery powered.

Depending on the type of filter 110 used, the controller can provide a fan control signal that causes the fan speed to increase or decrease when the sensed data indicates that the contamination level in the baby pen 102 is too high. For example, the controller may compare the sensed internal contamination data to one or more thresholds to determine a fan control signal to determine how to automatically control the fan.

In some applications, the controller may compare the sensed internal temperature data to one or more thresholds to determine a fan control signal to determine how the fan will be automatically controlled. For example, if the internal temperature is too high, this can be used to increase the fan speed in an attempt to cool the infant in the infant enclosure 102.

The infant transport system 100 may also include a position determining device (not shown), such as a global positioning system or any other known system. In some instances, the location-determining device may be directly connected to the playpen 102. In other examples, the location determining device may be provided by a different device, such as a mobile communication device, e.g., a smartphone, located near the playpen. Further details of such an example will be described below with reference to fig. 2.

The position determining device may determine position data representative of a position associated with the infant transportation system. This may be the exact location of the baby pen if the location determining device is directly attached to the baby pen, or it may be the approximate location of the baby pen if the location determining device is known to be in the vicinity of the baby pen. For example, if the location determining device is provided by a smartphone, the smartphone uses Bluetooth ^TM A component connected to the playpen.

In instances where the infant transport system includes a position determining device and one or more sensors, the position determining device may determine position data indicative of a position associated with the infant transport system at the time the sensing data is provided. The infant transport system may further comprise a transmitter for transmitting the sensed data and the associated location data to a third party device. As mentioned above, the functionality of the transmitter may be provided by the associated mobile communication device, or by a custom transmitter associated with the infant transportation system. Further details of such an example are provided below with reference to fig. 2.

In some examples, the infant transport system may be a handheld carrier. Alternatively, the infant transport system may include a wheeled frame on which the playpen is mounted so that the infant transport system can operate as a stroller or a toddler cart.

FIG. 2 shows a baby carrier including a plurality of babiesAn example of a network of pens 202, each baby pen in electronic communication with a mobile communication device 222. More specifically, in some instances, one or more sensors local to the playpen 202 can be in electronic communication with the mobile communication device 222. For example, the mobile communication device 222 may be a smartphone and may be capable of using Bluetooth ^TM Or any other wired or wireless communication protocol to communicate with the associated playpen 202/sensor. Fig. 2 also shows a server 226, which is an example of the third party device described above. It should be understood that the functionality of the server 226 may be provided in any manner known in the art, including using cloud computing, a single processor, or distributed processing.

In this example, a sender for transmitting data to the server 226 is associated with the mobile communication device 222, and the data transmission is illustrated in fig. 2 as being over the network 224. The network 224 may be the internet or any other telecommunications network using any suitable communication protocol. It should be understood that in other instances, the playpen 202 may have a local transmitter adapted to communicate directly with the server 226 without the need for the mobile communication device 222.

With reference to the various components of the infant transport system described above with reference to fig. 1:

one or more sensors may be associated with one or both of the baby pen 202 and the mobile communication device 222; and

a location determining device may be associated with one or both of the baby crib 202 and the mobile communication device 222.

As shown in fig. 2, the server 226 may receive data from a plurality of transmitters associated with a corresponding plurality of infant transport systems.

In this example, the server 226 receives the sensed data and the location data from a plurality of transmitters associated with a respective plurality of infant transport systems. Server 226 may process the sensed data and the location data to generate a map that graphically illustrates values of the sensed data at locations on the map corresponding to the associated location data. In this way, the map 228 may illustrate an area of a town or city (particularly) with a high level of pollution, particularly when the sensed data includes sensed external pollution data. Such a map 228 is useful for anyone who wishes to move around a town or city to plan their route to avoid highly contaminated areas. This information is particularly useful for others or pedestrians, runners, cyclists, etc. who wish to walk using the infant transportation system.

In some instances, one or both of the playpen 202 and the mobile communication device 222 can include a time recorder that determines time data representing the time at which the sensed data was provided. In this case, the transmitter may transmit time data to the server 226 along with the sensed data and the location data. In these examples, server 226 may receive sensory data, location data, and time data from multiple transmitters; and processing the sensed data, the location data and the time data to generate a map graphically illustrating values of the sensed data at locations on the map corresponding to relevant location data for a particular time of day. In this way, maps may be generated for the same location but at different times. Alternatively, a map may be generated using historical data recorded at the same time of day but on different dates.

Fig. 3 shows a view of the interior of a hood 306 that may be used with any of the infant transport systems disclosed herein. Attached to the inner surface of the hood 306 is a filter unit 330, which includes a filter and a fan. The fan may be a radial fan. The filter unit 330 may have one or more openings 332 on a side surface of the filter unit 330 such that the airflow from the fan enters the playpen in a direction parallel to the surface of the hood 306 to which the filter unit 330 is attached. As shown in fig. 3, the openings 332 in the filter unit 330 are positioned such that the fan provides airflow through the openings 332 in a direction toward the mesh when the hood 306 is in the raised position.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view from the back of the infant transport system 400 of fig. 1a with the filter unit 430 partially broken away, showing the filter mesh 413, the plastic cover 450 and the filter 410. It should be understood that the plastic cover 450, the filter 410, and the fan (not shown) may be arranged in a different order. It will also be appreciated that one or more, or all, of these components may be considered to form part of the wall of the baby pen, as they may provide part of the barrier between the inside of the baby pen and the outside of the baby pen.

An indicator 446 is provided which may provide one or more of a binary power indicator, a power level indicator, or a state of charge indicator. A power port 448 is provided that is configured to connect to a power source for providing direct power to the infant transport system or charging batteries associated with the electronics of the infant transport system. The power port 448 may include any suitable power port, such as a USB Type-A, USB Type-B, micro USB A or B, USB C charger, or any other power supply device.

Fig. 5 illustrates a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a playpen 500.

The playpen 500 includes a handle 534 that can be held by a person to lift and carry the playpen 502. The handle 534 enables a person to hold the baby pen 502 at a position corresponding to the longitudinal center of mass of the baby pen 502. The longitudinal direction is illustrated in fig. 5 by arrow 542. This allows the playpen to be well balanced when the playpen 502 is picked up by a person using the handle 534 without the playpen 502 tilting forward or backward.

As shown in fig. 5, in this example, a handle 534 is connected to the hood 506 and extends in a longitudinal direction 542 of the playpen 502. One end 540 of the handle 534 is attached to an upper front edge region 536 of the hood 506 and the other end 538 of the handle 534 is attached to the hood at a location spaced from the upper front edge region 536 in the longitudinal direction 532.

As also shown in fig. 5, a handle 534 may be attached to a laterally central region of the hood 506. This can help balance the playpen in the lateral dimension when the playpen 502 is held by the handle 534.

Fig. 6 shows a side view of an example embodiment of a playpen 602. In this example, the cover 606 includes a retractable visor 644. When the visor 644 is in the extended position, as shown in fig. 6, it extends the extent of the cover 606 so that the mesh is disposed rearward from the front of the visor and potentially increases the amount of shade for the infant in the playpen 602. When the visor 644 is in the retracted position, as shown in FIG. 1a, the visor 644 is fully covered by the cover 606. In some examples, the visor may also be configured to reduce ingress of contaminated air into the baby rail from the side and upper edges of the baby rail. For example, in normal operation, the fan provides a forward pressure of air through the mesh. In windy conditions, wind may be blown onto the mesh, with an instantaneous pressure on the mesh greater than that provided by the fan, causing unfiltered air to enter the playpen 602. By providing the visor 644, wind is prevented from reaching the mesh, thereby reducing the instantaneous pressure at the mesh to a surprising degree and reducing the amount of unfiltered air entering the baby pen 602 or preventing unfiltered air from seeping into the baby pen 602 altogether.

Claims

1. An infant transport system, comprising:

a baby enclosure for containing a baby;

a filter;

a mesh;

a fan configured to pressurize an interior of the baby enclosure such that air is drawn into the baby enclosure through the filter and air exits the baby enclosure through the mesh;

one or more sensors configured to provide sensed data that is a measure of one or more environmental parameters associated with the infant transport system;

a position determining device configured to determine position data indicative of a position associated with the infant transport system when the sensing data is provided; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the sensing data and the associated location data to a third party device.

2. The infant transport system of claim 1, wherein:

the filter forms a portion of a wall of the playpen; and/or

The mesh forms a portion of a wall of the playpen.

3. The infant transport system of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising the third party device configured to:

4. The infant transport system of any preceding claim, further comprising a mobile communication device, wherein:

the one or more sensors are associated with a baby pen; and

the mobile communication device is in electronic communication with the one or more sensors such that it is configured to receive sensed data from the one or more sensors.

5. An infant transport system according to any preceding claim, wherein the one or more sensors include one or more of:

a temperature sensor configured to provide sensed internal temperature data representative of an air temperature inside the playpen;

6. The infant transport system of claim 5, wherein the air pollution sensor includes one or more of an ozone sensor, a particulate matter sensor, a carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide sensor, a sulfur dioxide sensor and a nitrous oxide sensor, a ground ozone sensor, a NOx (nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide) sensor, a Total Volatile Organic Compound (TVOC) sensor, a peroxyacetyl nitrate sensor, a free radical sensor.

7. An infant transport system according to any preceding claim, wherein the fan is a radial fan.

8. The infant transport system of any preceding claim, wherein the infant enclosure comprises:

a crib having a flat lower surface on which an infant can lie;

a cover; and

a removable cover connectable to the crib and foldable cover such that the crib, the cover, and the removable cover define a fully enclosed volume for containing an infant;

wherein:

the filter forms a portion of a wall of the hood; and

the mesh forms part of the removable cover.

9. The infant transport system of claim 8, wherein:

the removable cover comprises the mesh and a solid portion;

when the removable cover is not attached to the crib and the cover, an opening is defined through which an infant can enter or exit the playpen;

the opening has a first portion and a second portion;

the first portion of the opening is defined by: (i) the peripheral edge of the cover extends beyond a portion of the top of the crib; and (ii) a line connecting two points where the cover overlaps the crib;

the second portion of the opening is defined by: (i) a line connecting two points where the cover and the crib overlap; and (ii) an edge of a side wall of the crib distal from the hood;

the removable cover is attachable to the crib and hood to:

the mesh closes a first portion of the opening, and

the solid portion closes the second portion of the opening.

10. The infant transport system of any preceding claim, further comprising a filter unit including the filter and the fan, wherein the filter unit is attached to the hood.

11. The infant transport system of any preceding claim, wherein:

the mesh has a first surface facing the baby enclosure and a second surface facing away from the baby enclosure; and is provided with

The fan and the mesh may be positioned relative to each other such that, when the fan is in use, across substantially the entire mesh, the air pressure on the first surface of the mesh is greater than the air pressure on the second surface.

12. The infant transport system of any preceding claim, wherein:

the fan is configured to provide an airflow to the playpen; and

the gas stream is directed towards the mesh.

13. The infant transport system of any preceding claim, wherein the infant enclosure further includes a human-holdable handle at a location corresponding to a longitudinal center of mass of the infant enclosure.

14. The infant transport system of claim 13, wherein the handle is connected to the hood.

15. The infant transport system of claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the handle extends longitudinally of the infant enclosure.

16. The infant transport system of any of claims 13-15, wherein the handle is connected to a laterally central region of the hood.

17. The infant transport system of any preceding claim, further comprising a display configured to provide a graphical representation of the sensed data.

18. The infant transport system of any preceding claim, further comprising a controller configured to:

a fan control signal is provided to the fan.

19. The infant transport system of claim 18, wherein the adjustable parameter of the fan is fan speed.